BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE institutions, poses a real danger for both domestic and foreign investment in the sector. The Ramaphosa administration requires urgent intervention in the sector. This, coupled with a slow roll-out of infrastructure projects and an inexplicably high rate of cancellations of projects that have been put out to tender, is accelerating the demise of the industry. We, however, remain optimistic that the new president, as he said at our gala dinner keynote address, would like to see many cranes in the sky as an indication that infrastructure is indeed taking place. We should be reporting the number of jobs we are creating each day, rather than counting the number of people being retrenched. As we add our voice to congratulate Ramaphosa on his election as South African president, we equally applaud him for his great inaugural SONA address, which signified a new dawn. While as SAFCEC, we say,“ Send us.” We want to lend a hand. We also say save us, as the industry is bleeding, owing to slow infrastructure roll-out, non-payment or late payment for services rendered— and policy uncertainty. nn
“ If we are to learn anything from our BRICS counterparts, it is that their economies grew at higher rates, driven by a strong focus on infrastructure development.”
SAFCEC
About the author: Webster Mfebe is the chief executive officer of the South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors, a position he has held since January 2013. He has accumulated a wealth of management expertise during his career spanning the mining, construction, and engineering industries; broadcasting; politics; and running his own enterprise. He has addressed various international conferences, locally and abroad, on political and economic issues.